{"id":284070,"date":"2025-11-26T09:08:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T09:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/284070\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T09:08:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T09:08:11","slug":"experts-issue-stark-warning-to-shoppers-as-high-street-favourites-struggle-to-survive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/284070\/","title":{"rendered":"Experts issue stark warning to shoppers as high street favourites struggle to survive"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even good-cause retailers are struggling in the current economic climate. Ahead of Rachel Reeves Budget, in the latest blow to the hight street, they warn of surging costs, mounting costs and poor quality donationsJennifer Pinto and Hannah Britt<\/a> Features Editor (Advanced Content)<\/p>\n

19:33, 25 Nov 2025Updated 20:12, 25 Nov 2025<\/p>\n

\"CrisisCrisis shop staff Aurora McLaughlin-Hacker and Emma Wiseman(Image: Tim Merry\/Staff Photographer)<\/p>\n

They were once a treasure trove of finds for bargain hunters. But many charity shops<\/a> are struggling for survival as costs rise and sales slump in a challenging economic climate.<\/p>\n

As Chancellor Rachel Reeves<\/a> prepares to deliver her autumn Budget<\/a> today, retailers have warned that any further price hikes \u2013 following rises in employer National Insurance contributions, energy bills<\/a> and rent \u2013 could trigger new closures.<\/p>\n

The warning comes after Cancer Research UK recently announced its plans to close 200 shops. Disability charity<\/a> Scope is also shutting 56 stores across England and Wales, while Oxfam and Barnado\u2019s have reported sluggish sales.<\/p>\n

Separately, industry experts say a deterioration in the quality of donations is also harming sales, more of which to follow.<\/p>\n

Robin Osterley, chief executive of the Charity Retail Association, says the sector has faced substantial costs despite trade being strong since Easter.<\/p>\n

\"CrisisCrisis charity shop(Image: Tim Merry\/Staff Photographer)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s mainly the increase in the National Insurance threshold for employers because a lot of our members have been part-time staff who have been involved in the National Insurance system for the first time through the threshold, and it certainly hurts in terms of cost,\u201d he explains. \u201cProfitability has taken a bit of a nose-dive.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE: 15 things to expect in Rachel Reeves’ Budget – and they’re not all bad<\/a><\/p>\n

Tom Abbott, director of income generation at St Christopher\u2019s Hospice, says people assume charity shops are cheap to run when, in fact, they have many of the same costs as other retailers.<\/p>\n

Despite help from tax relief and the Gift Aid scheme \u2013 which lets charities claim an extra 25p for every \u00a31 donated \u2013 Tom says these measures don\u2019t cover the full cost of keeping shops open.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe still have to pay rent, utilities, insurance and employ trained staff to manage volunteers and comply with regulations,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd waste disposal costs mean that operating costs can remain high. Every pound we raise in our St Christopher\u2019s shops takes real effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ExpertsExperts say the quality of donations has gone down in recent years (Image: Tim Merry\/Staff Photographer)<\/p>\n

The charity has more than 20 shops across South East London, selling clothing, toys, books and homeware. It is bucking the trend when it comes to sales. Last year, it generated income of \u00a35.4million, with more customers coming through its doors than in the previous year. Tom attributes this to the strong community of local shoppers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat community connection is really important,\u201d he continues. \u201cWe work really hard to be part of the communities that we\u2019re in, whether it\u2019s Streatham or our wider community. St Christopher\u2019s shops are positioned slightly differently to a national charity where that immediate connection to your community, family and neighbours is harder to recreate.\u201d<\/p>\n

But while shoppers continue to hunt for bargains, they\u2019re having to rummage for longer than before. The quality of donations has definitely gone downhill over the past two years,\u201d explains Emma Wiseman, 27, store manager at the homeless charity Crisis on Streatham High Road. She cites fast fashion \u2013 the proliferation of cheap quality clothing made for mass retailers in industrial volumes \u2013 as one factor.<\/p>\n

\"CharityCharity shops need your help! (Image: Tim Merry\/Staff Photographer)<\/p>\n

\u201cBut attitudes have shifted and we\u2019re now seen as a place to get rid of rubbish,\u201d she adds. \u201cI know of this through other charity shop managers too. They get shoes that are broken and things that are very stained, which is more work for us.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019d be great if there was more awareness about what we can and can\u2019t sell. We\u2019re appreciative of all donations, but when 80% of what you get that day is literal rubbish, it\u2019s frustrating.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the same story across the country. Stefanie Curran from Punk Against Poverty, a community interest company in Torquay, Devon, that tackles poverty and social issues through grassroots schemes, says around half of all her shop donations are unsaleable. Instead of earning \u00a3150 a week from textile recycling companies, the fully volunteer-run shop now makes just \u00a36 a week.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe get a huge amount of dirty or damaged donations,\u201d explains Stefanie. \u201cAbout half of what comes in is unsaleable because it\u2019s dirty, ripped, stained or paint-splattered. The quality has massively dropped. Only around 15% of what we receive makes us go, \u2018Oh wow, that\u2019s brilliant\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SometimesSometimes donations come in already broken or damaged, which means more work for shop staff<\/p>\n

The shop now pays to dispose of many items for which they once received money. When it opened in 2020, unsellable donations were sent to textile recyclers for a decent return. But Stefanie says the rag trade faces major problems. Overseas markets are struggling to cope with textile waste and sorting it is harder and more expensive.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur shop is tiny and we only sell clothing, books and a few toys, but we still get household goods dumped on our doorstep,\u201d Stefanie grimaces. \u201cOften the bags have been rained on or used as a dog\u2019s toilet. Nobody volunteers to sort through that.\u201d<\/p>\n

There may be one unexpected saviour in the wings \u2013 Vinted. The online resale platform, along with DePop and eBay<\/a>, has eaten into charity shop sales in recent years as people sell their best second-hand items for a profit. But Punk Against Poverty now, paradoxically, relies heavily on the items it sells through eBay and Vinted. \u201cIf we didn\u2019t have them, the shop wouldn\u2019t be open anymore,\u201d says Stefanie. One of her biggest concerns right now is shoplifting. \u201cWe have a massive issue with people stealing items and swapping labels,\u201d she says. \u201cCharity shops don\u2019t have the same security as other stores, and people take advantage of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ReporterReporter Jennifer Pinto went to Streatham High Road to speak to the charity shops which thrive in this part of South London(Image: Tim Merry\/Staff Photographer)<\/p>\n

Shoplifting has hit record highs this year in England and Wales amid the continuing cost-of-living crisis. Some 530,643 such offences were reported in the year to March, a 20% rise from the previous year.<\/p>\n

Emma Wiseman has seen it first hand at her Crisis store.\u201cPeople just see it as a shop; they don\u2019t necessarily see what\u2019s attached,\u201d she says. \u201cBut stealing from a homelessness charity is like the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n

If there is cause for cheer, then Streatham High Road in South London might be it. There are 11 charity shops along one stretch of the nearly two-mile-long road, including FARA, Shelter and the British Heart Foundation. Emma says these shops aren\u2019t just retail spaces, they\u2019re social spaces and community hubs for everyone. Many of the shops hold live music events and regular activities for customers.<\/p>\n

Her colleague, Aurora McLaughlin-Hacker, store supervisor at Streatham Crisis store, thinks the high street could even be a blueprint for others across the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cStreatham\u2019s a very interesting place because charity shops do really well, partially because it\u2019s a very low-income area,\u201d she says. \u201cSo charity shops fill a gap that traditional retail shops wouldn\u2019t be able to fill. As someone who was born and raised in Streatham, there\u2019s very much a sort of do-it-yourself culture \u2013 instead of buying first-hand, you make do with what you have.\u201d She continues: \u201cThere\u2019s a Streatham charity shop circuit that a lot of young people do as a daily activity \u2013 you can start off at Streatham Hill and go all the way down. I know that when I was a teenager, instead of going into Wandsworth or Croydon or whatever to do shopping, we\u2019d do the charity shop circuit down here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ReporterReporter Jennifer Pinto (Image: Tim Merry\/Staff Photographer)<\/p>\n

Meerab Shamoon, 25, store manager at the British Heart Foundation in Streatham, agrees. She believes the area\u2019s charity shops work more like neighbours than competitors and praises the strong community spirit that keeps the high street thriving, bucking the national trend of closures.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe shops are very collaborative, we help each other with stuff \u2013 it\u2019s very open, we share, we support each other,\u201d she says. \u201cPeople shop locally, and you want to have a relationship with your customer. We\u2019ve turned so many regular customers into volunteers. I was a volunteer myself, now I\u2019m a manager. I\u2019ve covered 13 shops in South London and Streatham is the only place I\u2019ve seen this much collaboration and communication. It\u2019s so welcoming here.\u201d<\/p>\n

While change will take time to trickle through and retailers are braced for further challenges ahead, Stefanie Curran urges people to do as much as they can now to help ease the pain.<\/p>\n

First and foremost, think before dropping off any donation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s disheartening having to go through complete rubbish or plastic bottles that should be in the bin and having to wear gloves to sort through it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease remember to wash items first and check what the shop actually needs before making your donation.\u201d It\u2019s the very least we can all do.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Millions of workers in line for pay rise as minimum wage hike confirmed<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Even good-cause retailers are struggling in the current economic climate. Ahead of Rachel Reeves Budget, in the latest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":284071,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[43981,84,31470,64205,520,1294,5363,3493,61198,69,100938,36505,21438,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-284070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-british-heart-foundation","tag-business","tag-cancer-research-uk","tag-charities","tag-ebay","tag-economy","tag-energy-bills","tag-homelessness","tag-oxfam","tag-rachel-reeves-mp","tag-shelter","tag-shoplifting","tag-the-budget","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=284070"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284070\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/284071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=284070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=284070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=284070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}